Department for Transport

Driving Tests: Glasgow

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on which date a Minister of his Department last visited Baillieston DVSA test centre in Glasgow.

Jesse Norman: Ministers regularly visit a variety of places across the country. We do not however have a record of a Department for Transport Minister specifically visiting Baillieston test centre in Glasgow.

Driving Tests: Glasgow

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) part-time and (b) full-time employees are based at Baillieston DVSA test centre in Glasgow.

Jesse Norman: As at 31 May 2017, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has (a) 5 part time employees and (b) 7 full time employees based at Baillieston test centre in Glasgow.

Driving Tests: Glasgow

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which landlord provides accommodation for Baillieston DVSA test centre in Glasgow.

Jesse Norman: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency leases Glasgow Baillieston driving test centre from the pension fund of a non-departmental public body – the Medical Research Pension Trust Ltd. The building is managed by Lambert Smith Hampton.

Driving Tests: Glasgow

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on which date the current property rental contract is due to expire for the Baillieston DVSA test centre in Glasgow.

Jesse Norman: The current property rental contract at Baillieston DVSA test centre in Glasgow is due to expire on 14 March 2019.

Driving Tests: Glasgow

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) part-time and (b) full-time staff headcount has been at Baillieston DVSA test centre, Glasgow in each year since 2007.

Jesse Norman: The part time and full time staff headcount at Baillieston Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) test centre, Glasgow in each year since 2007 is as follows: 2007 – 3 part time, 10 full time2008 – 4 part time, 9 full time2009 – 4 part time, 8 full time2010 – 3 part time, 9 full time2011 – 4 part time, 10 full time2012 – 6 part time, 8 full time2013 – 7 part time, 7 full time2014 – 4 part time, 7 full time2015 – 8 part time, 5 full time2016 – 5 part time, 7 full time

Railway Stations: Cardiff

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made on reviewing the proposals for (a) additional capacity improvements at Cardiff Central Station and (b) a new station at St Mellons Parkway.

Paul Maynard: The Department for Transport intends to set out the outcomes we want from the rail network in Control Period 6 (CP6 – 2019 to 2024) during the remainder of 2017, starting with the High Level Output Specification (HLOS), which is expected to be published in July. This process will consider the choices for investment in Wales, including those in the Cardiff area. Cardiff Parkway, the new station proposed at St Mellons, was the subject of a bid to the recent New Stations Fund round. Assessment of the bids is complete and my Department hopes to announce the successful projects shortly.

Train Operating Companies: Compensation

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to encourage train operating companies to introduce automatic compensation payments on delayed services; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Maynard: We already require operators for new franchises to actively promote passengers’ awareness of their rights and to make the claims process swift and simple, including through the introduction of new technology. We are also working with existing train operating companies to ensure that passengers’ awareness of the compensation they may be entitled to is increased and to make it as easy as possible to claim. Some train operating companies have already introduced fully automated compensation and the Department has been working with others who are planning to do so.

Southern: Standards

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the (a) delays and (b) knock-on delays caused to Southern services at peak time due to holding trains to prevent simultaneous arrivals on platforms 15-19 at London Victoria station.

Paul Maynard: It is up to the Rail Industry to deliver a timetable that provides passengers with the performance they expect, whilst maintaining safety. Peak services are timetabled to ensure there is sufficient gap between trains to allow passengers to clear platforms and concourse. Note that due to the track and platform layout at Victoria, there is a limit to the number of trains that can arrive in a short space of time at platforms 15-19.

Victoria Station: Overcrowding

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps (a) his Department and (b) Network Rail are taking to ease peak-time overcrowding for Brighton Main Line passengers on platforms 15-19 at London Victoria.

Paul Maynard: Network Rail are working on a programme of improvements across the station including additional electronic signage, mobility assistance, additional seating and new information pods. Network Rail are also working with the Department on long term plans to improve passenger flows and reduce peak time crowding.

Cycling

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will provide a new funding stream to encourage cycling in small towns and rural areas.

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what sources of funding are available to small towns and rural areas to fund new cycling infrastructure.

Jesse Norman: The Government’s Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (published April 2017) includes funding of £1.2 billion from 2016-21 to support our ambition to make cycling and walking the natural choice for shorter journeys in every urban and rural community in England. In addition to the £1.2 billion highlighted in the Strategy, funding is also available to small towns and rural areas from local authority programmes, some other government programmes such as Sport England and Public Health England, and the most recent allocations from the Local Growth Fund.

Cycling

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding his Department has made available for cycling in (a) rural areas and (b) Cheshire East since 2010.

Jesse Norman: The Government’s Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (published April 2017) includes funding of £1.2 billion from 2016-21 to support our ambition to make cycling and walking the natural choice for shorter journeys in every urban and rural community in England. Since 2010, rural local authorities have benefited from funding for sustainable forms of transport, including cycling and walking, through the Local Sustainable Transport Fund and its successors the Sustainable Travel Transition Year and Access Fund. Additionally, from 2013-15 the Department for Transport (DfT) provided £17million to benefit rural areas by improving cycling infrastructure in and around national parks. Details of the areas where DfT funding has been allocated can be found at: http://maps.dft.gov.uk/funding-for-sustainable-travel/index.html Cheshire East council has benefited from the following DfT investment since 2010 which will help to encourage cycling:Funding programme£mDurationLocal Sustainable Transport Fund3.0592011-15Sustainable Travel Transition Year0.352016-17Bikeability (national cycling training)0.9672010-17

Southeastern: Standards

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will halt the proposals contained in the future of Southeastern Trains Franchise consultation to cut trains on the Bexleyheath line to Charing Cross and Victoria stations; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Maynard: These proposals are part of a consultation; no final decisions have been made. We are currently consulting passengers for their views on future Southeastern train services. In the consultation we provided an example to demonstrate how a reduction of London termini could operate to deliver a more reliable service. As with any other consultation, if a large majority of consultees support or oppose one option over another, that will carry significant weight in deciding how to proceed, and in developing the specification for the next operator.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Right to Buy Scheme

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to extend the right to buy to Low Start Shared Ownership schemes; and if he will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Right to Buy Scheme

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to extend right to buy to local authority-owned garages; and if he will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

High Rise Flats: Wolverhampton

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on tower blocks in Wolverhampton which are clad in flammable substances.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Non-domestic Rates: Energy

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will exempt Local Community Energy Schemes from paying business rates; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Marcus Jones: At Budget 2016 the government announced cuts in business rates benefiting all ratepayers which are worth almost £9 billion over the next 5 years. In addition, the government set out a £435 million package of measures to support those businesses most impacted by the recent revaluation. The government keeps business rates under review and routinely meets stakeholders to discuss the business rates system.

Opportunity and Integration Review

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he intends to publish the report by Dame Louise Casey on integration.

Mr Marcus Jones: Dame Louise Casey published the findings of her independent review into opportunity and integration in our most isolated and deprived communities on 5 December 2016.A copy of the report can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-casey-review-a-review-into-opportunity-and-integration

Housing: Construction

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will change building regulations to make it compulsory for new buildings to be self-sufficient in energy through the fitting of solar panels; and if he will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Devolution: West Yorkshire

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what meetings he has planned on devolution for West Yorkshire.

Jake Berry: Holding answer received on 27 June 2017



Across England we are making huge strides towards rebalancing the economy and empowering local government. On 4 May, the first six city region mayors were elected for Greater Manchester, the West Midlands, Liverpool City Region, Tees Valley, the West of England and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough – representing 9.8 million people in England. We remain committed to our ambitious devolution deal with Sheffield City Region, comprising the local authority areas of Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and Sheffield. The mayoral election will take place in May 2018. Against this background, we intend to have early meetings with local businesses and political leaders, as it is important to agree a separate deal which includes West Yorkshire.

Supported Housing

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assisted living accommodation is available for people with illness and disability who are below the age of 55; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department for Work and Pensions commissioned a ‘Supported Accommodation Review’ which was published in November 2016 (see https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supported-accommodation-review). This provides the following information on supported housing units provided for working-age adults (aged 65 or below) in England: Client group – working-age adultsNo of supported housing units – England*#People with learning disabilities38,500People with mental health problems29,500People with physical or sensory impairment9,000* based on survey responses from 83 local authority commissioners between October and December 2015.# see survey for figures for Wales and Scotland Assisted living accommodation is often understood to mean supported housing that provides a higher level of support. The above figures will include a mixture of lower and higher needs support.The Government recognises that the supported housing sector provides essential support to some of our country’s most vulnerable people. The sector is very diverse and, as well as supporting those suffering from disability or illness, also serves other vulnerable working-age client groups for example rough sleepers and homeless families, and people fleeing domestic abuse, and also includes sheltered housing for older people. It helps many people to lead independent lives in the community or to turn their lives around, and brings savings to other parts of the public sector such as health and social care.We are committed to boosting the supply of supported housing for the vulnerable, including for people with disabilities. Since 2011, the Government has delivered 23,000 new supported homes in England across all client groups. We are continuing to fund delivery of new supported housing. We are spending £400 million announced through the Autumn 2015 Spending Review to deliver 8000 specialist affordable homes for older and vulnerable people. In addition, up to 6000 more supported housing units are by being funded by the Department of Health, via the Care and Support Specialised Housing (CASSH) Fund.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with the Fire and Rescue Services on the retro-fitting of sprinkler systems in residential tower blocks.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the Government's undertaking to test cladding in high-rise residential tower blocks will extend to other tall buildings including those occupied by (a) hospitals and (b) businesses.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Redbridge Borough Council

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what central Government funding was allocated to the London Borough of Redbridge in each year since May 2010.

Mr Marcus Jones: The table below shows Redbridge's revenue support grant in each year since 2010. Prior to 2013-14, the Government allocated councils Formula Grant, funded from redistributed business rates and Revenue Support Grant. In 2013-14 the Government introduced 50 per cent business rates retention. Therefore, Revenue Support Grant before 2013-14 is not comparable to Revenue Support Grant from 2013-14 onwards. Redbridge will also have received funding from other government departments through Section 31 grants administered by DCLG. The table also presents Redbridge's total net current expenditure for each year in the period where the data is available.YearRevenue Support Grant (£millions)Redistributed Business Rates (£millions)Formula Grant (£millions)Net current expenditure (£millions)2010-1112.485.698.0607.52011-1223.977.2101.1606.22012-131.894.396.1612.72013-1470.2--627.62014-1558.1--621.62015-1642.9--620.42016-1733.0--619.12017-1823.2---

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what additional fire safety arrangements will be put in place in tall residential tower blocks which may have flammable cladding; and what central Government funding is available to finance such arrangements.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Fire Prevention

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Queen's Speech 2017, how much financial support the Government will provide to councils where urgent fire-safety checks have identified buildings as high risk; and what is the application process for that support.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

High Rise Flats: Birmingham

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many fire-safety checks have been carried out in high-rise residential blocks in Birmingham since the Grenfell Tower fire; and, of those checks, how many buildings have been identified as high risk.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Fire Prevention: High Rise Flats

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the findings of fire-safety checks carried out in high-rise residential blocks.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Private Rented Housing: Fire Prevention

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, (a) how many private rented sector households have approached his Department for advice about the combustibility of their buildings, (b) in how many buildings tested since the Grenfell Tower fire have inflammable materials been identified and (c) what estimate he has made of the number of private rented sector properties that need to be investigated.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Multiple Occupation: Licensing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, (a) how many and (a) what proportion of houses of multiple occupation were registered under the mandatory HMO licensing scheme in each year since its introduction.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Housing: Fire Extinguishers

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an estimate of the cost of installing sprinkler systems in (a) new build domestic homes, (b) retrofitted domestic homes, (c) new tower blocks and (d) retrofitted tower blocks.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Regional Planning and Development: North of England

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the Government's policy is on the future of the Northern Powerhouse.

Jake Berry: As the Northern Powerhouse Minister I am dedicated to ensuring the government continues to prioritise its plans for building a stronger northern economy.In January we allocated over half a billion pounds of investment directly into the Northern Powerhouse for projects to boost local growth. And in February we launched the £400 million Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund to provide small-and-medium-sized businesses with the investment they need to start-up and grow.The Government remains absolutely committed to the Northern Powerhouse—we are already seeing real, tangible progress and will continue to work with local partners and business across the North to get the job done.

Non-domestic Rates

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to issue consultation exercise on changes to business rates.

Mr Marcus Jones: At Budget 2016 the government announced cuts in business rates benefiting all ratepayers which are worth almost £9bn over the next 5 years. In addition, the government set out a £435 million package of measures to support those businesses most impacted by the recent revaluation. The government routinely meets stakeholders to discuss the business rates system and it will continue to do so.

Housing: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to introduce restrictions on the overseas ownership of new properties in London; and if he will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Housing: Cooperatives

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his Department's policy is for the provision of additional co-operative housing; and if he will make a statement.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Housing: Sales

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to review regulations on the purchase of (a) leasehold properties and (b) the sale of freeholds to third parties by property developers.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Community Infrastructure Levy

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many investors who have brought back into use derelict town centre premises have been subject to the community infrastructure levy since it was was introduced.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Training: Leave

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his policy is on leave for training for all employees.

Margot James: The Government is committed to testing ambitious new approaches to career learning and training for people in work and returning to work, as announced in the Budget. More detailed proposals will be set out in due course.

Tidal Power

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to make a further statement on tidal power and tidal lagoons.

Richard Harrington: The Government is currently assessing the recommendations of the Hendry Review and will publish a response in due course.

Self-employed: Low Pay

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to reduce low pay among self-employed people.

Margot James: My Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister has asked Matthew Taylor to look at employment practices in the modern economy. This is examining a range of issues, including security, pay and rights for those working in more flexible roles, including the self-employed.

Small Businesses: Inverclyde

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if the Government will bring the Small Business Saturday 2017 roadshow to Inverclyde.

Margot James: The organisation of Small Business Saturday is managed by Small Business Saturday UK. To request a visit to Inverclyde you can contact them via their website https://smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com.The Department is fully supportive of the Small Business Saturday campaign and recognises the role it plays in highlighting the importance of small businesses to the local community and the UK as a whole.

Energy: Meters

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many households are using a pre-payment meter for electricity and gas in (a) the Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK.

Richard Harrington: The Department collects data on the method of payment for domestic gas and electricity customers by public electricity supply (PES) region from a survey of energy suppliers. From this, data is not available by parliamentary constituency; however, Linlithgow and East Falkirk falls within the South Scotland PES region which is provided below instead. Gas data is only collected for Great Britain not the United Kingdom.The proportion of, and number of, households on pre-payment meters are estimated as follows:  GasElectricity ProportionNumberProportionNumberSouth Scotland16%260,00019%360,000Scotland16%320,00019%500,000GB/UK14%3,100,00015%4,200,000  This is published as part of our quarterly energy prices publication: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/quarterly-domestic-energy-price-stastics

Small Businesses: Linlithgow and East Falkirk

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to support micro-enterprises in Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency.

Margot James: Support for businesses in Scotland is largely a devolved matter, and https://www.mygov.scot/business/ provides advice to people starting, running and growing a business, including a section on funding and grants in Scotland. In addition, British Business Bank (BBB) programmes are supporting finance to smaller businesses. One of the main programmes – administered by the Start-Up Loans Company - is supporting 70 start-up loans worth £283k in the Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency.Microbusinesses in Scotland also benefit from UK-wide initiatives to encourage investment, for example the Enterprise Investment Scheme and the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme. If they have business premises, microbusinesses will also benefit from the Small Business Bonus Scheme and receive 100% relief on their rates bill for property valued below £10,000.

Solar Power

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to encourage greater use of solar panels; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: Solar PV is a UK success story, with rapid deployment over the last 7 years, over 99% of the UK’s solar PV capacity has been deployed since May 2010.We are exceeding our historic projections on solar deployment. In 2013 we estimated that solar capacity would reach 10-12GW by 2020. We now expect Government support to bring forward around 13 GW by 2020. Support for solar comes directly from people's bills, so when costs come down, so should support. Therefore we have taken steps to control the costs of support schemes and put solar on a path to delivering without subsidy.

Business: Regulation

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it is his policy to continue with the Red Tape Challenge; and if he will provide an update of its work to date.

Margot James: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Green Investment Bank: Privatisation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the cost has been to date to his Department and the Green Investment Bank (GIB) of privatising that bank; and what the projected cost to his Department and the GIB is of privatising that bank up until the point at which the sale is finalised.

Claire Perry: The Government will provide a full report to Parliament following completion of the transaction.

Self-employed

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the number of people who are incorrectly classified as self employed in the UK.

Margot James: Determining employment status can be complicated and is based on the reality of each working relationship. Government has not made an estimate of the numbers of people in each status, but shares concerns regarding insecure work. This is why in October 2016 my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister asked Matthew Taylor to carry out an independent review to consider employment practices and whether they need to change to keep pace with modern business models. We understand that Matthew Taylor is working to complete his report at the moment, and expect it to be published soon.

Skilled Workers

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to tackle the skills gap.

Joseph Johnson: Through our Industrial Strategy, we will deliver on our plans for the new Institutes of Technology which will help deliver excellence in technical education across the country, harnessing the expertise of employers to fill local skills gaps and providing learners with a clear route to employment or higher education.

Industry

Liz Twist: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the sector-based approach in delivering the aims of the Government's industrial strategy.

Greg Clark: I’m sure the Hon. Member will agree that the UK economy benefits from world-leading sectors and that building on their strengths is crucial as we develop our modern industrial strategy. Businesses know how best to boost their parts of the economy, which is why we have issued an open invitation to any sector to propose ambitious Sector Deals with Government. I am delighted work is progressing on a number of early sector deals.

Bereavement Leave: Parents

Will Quince: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the merits of introducing statutory paid leave for parents who suffer the loss of a child.

Margot James: I know my Hon. Friend has done a considerable amount of work on this, given his own tragic experience. I would like to reassure him that we are exploring options for supporting bereaved parents in employment. We would expect employers to be compassionate and flexible at such a difficult time, however we understand this is not always the case. So we are looking at ways to enable parents to take time away from work to grieve.

Small Businesses

Nigel Huddleston: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to support the growth of small businesses.

Margot James: I was delighted to visit Worcestershire earlier this year and look forward to visiting again soon. This Government wants to help high-growth businesses scale-up, go global and invest in their future. The Scale-up Task Force which I co-chair focuses on that requirement. This builds on the billions of financial support already provided by the British Business Bank to thousands of small businesses looking to start, scale up or stay ahead.

Tidal Lagoons Independent Review

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress his Department has made on implementing the recommendations of the Hendry Review on Tidal Lagoons.

Richard Harrington: I congratulate my Hon. Friend for his continued advocacy on tidal lagoons.  We are making progress on assessing the recommendations of the Hendry Review. As my Hon. Friend will be aware, the issues are complex, as they relate to an untried technology in the marine environment. It is important we understand the costs and challenges posed by this technology in relation to its possible role in the UK’s energy mix and potential environmental impact.

Sharing Economy

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment the Government has made of the effect of precarious work on the workforce.

Margot James: Atypical work arrangements, alongside traditional full-time employment, play a valuable role in today’s labour market. This Government is live to the issues that come with new ways of working. That is why Matthew Taylor was asked to undertake his independent review of modern employment practices, which is considering job security amongst a range of issues.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Middle East: Religious Freedom

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with governments in the Middle East to encourage a better understanding of human rights provision relating to inter-faith marriages.

Alistair Burt: ​As far as we are aware there have been no such discussions in recent times. The British Government is clear, however, that discrimination on the basis of faith is a violation of universal human rights. The right not to be discriminated against by the state extends to the provision of marriage.

South Sudan and Sudan: Human Rights

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last met his counterpart in (a) Sudan and (b) south Sudan to discuss human rights.

Rory Stewart: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) has not recently met with his counterparts in Sudan and South Sudan. However, Sudan and South Sudan are human rights priority countries for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. We regularly raise our concerns with senior Ministers in both governments and, where relevant, in the United Nations.In Sudan, our Embassy staff regularly attend trials of human rights defenders and human rights is a key objective for our biannual UK-Sudan Strategic Dialogue. In South Sudan, the UK provides funding to programmes that support survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. During a visit to South Sudan in May 2017, my noble Friend, the Rt Hon. Baroness Anelay of St Johns (the Prime Minister's former Special Representative for Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict) raised numerous human rights related issues with members of the government and encouraged them to take action.

Russia and USA: Arms Control

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the US and Russia on extending the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty until 2026.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty is a Treaty between the US and Russia; any renewal would be a matter for those countries. The UK Government has regular dialogue with the US Administration on all aspects of nuclear and arms control policy, and we also discuss nuclear and arms control issues with Russia.

Russia: INF Treaty

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the alleged Russian violation of the INF Treaty.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The INF Treaty is a Treaty between the US, Russia and other successor States of the Soviet Union, so it would be for those countries in the first instance to determine any violations. The Treaty plays a vital role in maintaining Euro-Atlantic security, and we urge Russia to ensure full and verifiable compliance.

Nuclear Disarmament: Europe

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what consideration the Government has given to supporting a pan-European nuclear cruise missile treaty, as proposed by the Swiss and Swedish governments in 2016.

Mark Field: ​The UK does not have nuclear-armed cruise missiles. The Swiss and Swedish governments' proposal should in the first instance be discussed with those governments which do have such weapons.

Israeli Settlements

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Israeli Government on its approval of the first new settlement in the West Bank in over 20 years, Amichai; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: On 31 March the Foreign Secretary issued a statement condemning the Israeli government’s decision to found this new settlement deep in the West Bank. I discussed the issue of settlements, including "Amichai" with the Israeli ambassador on 22 June. Our ambassador in Tel Aviv also expressed our grave concerns to the Israeli authorities on 31 March over this settlement.

Khaled Nazzal

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has had discussions with the Palestinian Authority on the naming of a square in Jenin after Khaled Nazzal.

Alistair Burt: We have not had any discussions on this specific issue with the Palestinian Authority (PA). A UK delegation led by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Permanent Under-Secretary did raise the issue of incitement with the PA on 21 June. The UK continues to urge the Palestinian leadership to avoid engaging in, or encouraging, any type of action and language that makes it more difficult to achieve a culture of peaceful coexistence and a negotiated solution to the conflict.

Department for International Development and Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Ministers' Private Offices

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many civil servants of his Department will be employed in the private offices of the joint Department for International Development and Foreign and Commonwealth Office ministers.

Sir Alan Duncan: The FCO employs 11 civil servants working in the private offices of the 2 joint DFID and FCO ministers. We will keep this under review and will make adjustments accordingly as the Ministers settle into their new roles.

Department for International Development and Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Departmental Responsibilities

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the ministerial responsibilities are of the new joint Department for International Development and Foreign and Commonwealth Office ministers.

Sir Alan Duncan: Ministers of State Stewart and Burt will build on the existing close cooperation between FCO and DFID to strengthen the coordination of Britain's diplomatic and development work around the world. Individual responsibilities for all FCO Ministers are available on our website (Rory Stewart OBE MP and Rt Hon Alistair Burt MP).

Cabinet Office

Global Asset Recovery Forum

Frank Field: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether a timetable has been agreed for achieving the objectives of the Global Forum for Asset Recovery.

Chris Skidmore: The Global Forum for Asset Recovery (GFAR) was announced in May 2016. The US and UK will co-host the inaugural meeting by end 2017. This will be an opportunity to progress asset recovery cases, focusing on Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Tunisia and the Ukraine.

Corruption

Frank Field: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Government plans to publish its Anti-Corruption Strategy.

Chris Skidmore: The government is working on a new Anti-Corruption Strategy which will be published in due course.

Lobbying: Fines

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many organisations have been fined for failing to comply with regulations on third party campaigning set out in the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014.

Chris Skidmore: One organisation has been fined for failing to comply with regulations on third party campaigning set out in the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014. The Electoral Commission announced on 19 April 2017 that it had imposed a civil monetary penalty on Greenpeace Ltd, as the organisation did not register with the Electoral Commission at the 2015 General Election. Greenpeace Ltd was fined a total of £30,000.

General Elections

Grahame Morris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will establish an independent body to set rules for and formalise general election leaders debates.

Chris Skidmore: The Government has no plans to establish an independent body to set rules for and formalise general election leaders debates.

House of Lords: Reform

Grahame Morris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will bring forward legislative proposals on the reform of the House of Lords to make that House accountable to the electorate.

Chris Skidmore: The Conservative Party manifesto included a commitment to ensure that the House of Lords continues to fulfil its constitutional role as revising and scrutinising chamber which respects the primacy of the House of Commons and to ensure the work of the House of Lords remains relevant and effective by addressing issues such as its size.

Electoral Systems

Grahame Morris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will consider alternative voting systems for general elections and introduce a proportional system.

Chris Skidmore: The Government’s view is that the First Past the Post system is well-established here. In each constituency, candidates are elected to represent the views of their constituents and in each case a candidate for whom more people voted than for any of the alternatives is elected. The current system also provides a clear and well-understood link between constituents and their representative in Parliament and is well-understood by the electorate. The Government does not have plans to change the voting system for General Elections.

Agriculture: Migrant Workers

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what percentage of the UK's agricultural workforce in 2016 were non-British nationals.

Chris Skidmore: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response to PQ649
(PDF Document, 130.4 KB)

General Election 2017

Royston Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of postal votes were defined as spoiled ballots in the General Election 2017.

Royston Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of votes cast in the General Election 2017 were cast by absentee ballots.

Chris Skidmore: The Electoral Commission will be publishing, in due course, a report on the General Election held on 8 June 2017 which we expect will include data on the number of postal votes cast at the General Election and information on rejected postal votes.

Electoral Register

Royston Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many new voters were added to the electoral register after the General Election 2017 was announced; and whether the change in the number of people registered to vote will affect the work of the Electoral Commission in its review of parliamentary constituencies.

Chris Skidmore: The Electoral Commission intends to publish data on the number of new electors added to the register at the election in due course.The Government's manifesto re-affirms the commitment to deliver equal and updated boundaries and reduce the size of the House of Commons.Following laws already passed by Parliament, which provided that the current Boundary Review should be based on the electoral registers from 2015, the independent and impartial Boundary Commissions are consulting on their proposals to deliver the boundary changes, and they will submit their final proposals to Parliament in autumn 2018. These reforms will ensure fair and equal representation for the voting public across the United Kingdom.Equalising the size of constituencies in the Boundary Review will ensure everyone’s vote will carry equal weight. Without such boundary reforms, MPs could end up representing constituencies based on data that is over 20 years’ old, disregarding significant changes in demographics, house building and migration.

Cabinet Office: Regulation

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff in his Department have worked on the Red Tape Challenge project since its inception; and what the paygrade was of those staff.

Caroline Nokes: Holding answer received on 27 June 2017



The Red Tape Challenge Team was based in the Cabinet Office between April 2011 and December 2016. In January 2017, the function was transferred to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy.For the period from inception and while it was based in Cabinet Office, the headcount by payband were as follows; Payband HeadcountSCS1 3Grade 7 6HEO/SEO 25EO 2AO 1Total 37

Regulation

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much has been spent on the Red Tape Challenge in each year since its inception.

Caroline Nokes: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Absent Voting: Fraud

John Mann: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many prosecutions there have been for electoral fraud relating to postal votes in each of the last five years; and to which parliamentary constituencies such prosecutions related.

Chris Skidmore: This Government is committed to creating a secure and clear democracy that works for all. We published our response to the Rt. Hon. Sir Eric Pickles’ report on electoral fraud in December 2016 setting out the Government’s approach to tackling the recommendations Sir Eric made.The Electoral Commission publishes annual analysis of electoral fraud on their website. (http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/find-information-by-subject/electoral-fraud/data-and-analysis?)Further information on electoral fraud is available in the reports.

Attorney General

Serious Fraud Office

Catherine West: To ask the Attorney General, with reference to the Serious Fraud Office's news release of 20 June 2017, SFO charges in Barclays Qatar capital raising case, whether he has re-assessed the merits of maintaining the Serious Fraud Office as a separate office.

Jeremy Wright: The Government is committed to strengthening the UK's response to bribery, corruption, money laundering, fraud and other forms of economic crime. The Government is continuing to review options to improve the effectiveness of the UK's response to economic crime, and any measures resulting from this work will be announced in due course.

Fraud: Prosecutions

Karl Turner: To ask the Attorney General, how many fraud prosecutions the Crown Prosecution Service has brought in Crown Courts in England and Wales in each of the last five years; and what the outcomes of those prosecutions were.

Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the numbers of defendants and the outcome of prosecution proceedings, divided into twelve Principal Offence Categories, including ‘Fraud and Forgery’. The numbers of defendants prosecuted in Crown Courts under this category for each CPS Area and Casework Divisions are provided in the accompanying attachment along with the outcomes of those prosecutions.

Unlawful Killing (Recovery of Remains) Bill 2016-17: Legal Opinion

Conor McGinn: To ask the Attorney General, if he will publish any legal advice sought by or given to the Government on the Unlawful Killing (Recovery of Remains) Bill.

Jeremy Wright: Advice from the Law Officers is covered by legal professional privilege and is subject to a long-standing convention, which prevents disclosure of the advice (or even the fact that the Law Officers have been consulted) outside Government.

Department for International Development

Department for International Trade: Civil Servants

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many civil servants of her Department will be employed to work in the private offices of the joint Department for International Development and Foreign and Commonwealth Office ministers.

Rory Stewart: The Department for International Development currently employs 9 civil servants in the private offices of the two joint DFID and FCO ministers.

Nepal: Earthquakes

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department has provided to earthquake recovery efforts in Nepal; and if she will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The UK has played a leading role in the Nepal earthquake response. Immediately after the 2015 earthquake, the Department for International Development (DFID) provided humanitarian relief for thousands of displaced people. This included reaching over 250,000 people with shelter support and providing over 200,000 people with clothes, blankets and mattresses.We are now supporting reconstruction. We have already repaired water supplies for over 33,000 people, and rehabilitated 114km of remote trails. We are working with the Nepali Government to find solutions for all households who remain displaced by the earthquake. Over the next 5 years we will reach over 250,000 with improved water and sanitation and invest in housing reconstruction, supporting poorer households to rebuild safe homes.

Somalia: Famine

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is providing to famine relief operations in Somalia; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: The Secretary of State visited Somalia on 17 June where she announced a further £60m uplift in UK support to drought relief operations, on top of a contribution of £110m announced last February. During her visit she said: “The UK stepped up early with support, and lobbied others to do more, which has prevented the spread of famine. We are showing our continued leadership with more food, more water and more medicine for those at imminent risk of dying from drought and conflict. The world must follow our lead and act now to put an end to humanitarian crises that threaten our global stability and help accelerate progress on peace, security and prosperity – which is firmly in everyone’s interest.”

Department for Education

Sex and Relationship Education

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to publish her plans for ensuring the content of relationships education in primary schools is age appropriate; and if she will place a copy of those plans in the Library.

Nick Gibb: The Children and Social Work Act (2017) places a duty on the Secretary of State to make relationships education mandatory in all primary schools, and relationships and sex education mandatory in all secondary schools, in England. The Government also made a commitment to ensuring that the updated guidance and regulations for these subjects would be age appropriate and support the knowledge children and young people need to stay safe and to develop positive relationships. The Department for Education intends to conduct thorough and wide ranging engagement on relationships education and relationships and sex education. This will determine the content of the regulations and statutory guidance, covering subject content, school practice and quality of delivery. The Department will seek evidence from schools and teachers; parents and pupils; experts in safeguarding and child wellbeing; subject experts; voluntary organisations and other interested parties; and other Government departments and public sector bodies. We will set out more details about the engagement process shortly and the work to consider age appropriate subject content. This work will result in draft regulations and guidance on which we will consult. Following consultation, regulations will be laid in the House allowing for a full and considered debate.

Educational Institutions: Safety

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether schools and education establishments are fully compliant with fire and safety regulations; and if she will ensure that checks will be made to ensure the safety of schools.

Nick Gibb: Responsibility for ensuring compliance with fire and safety regulations sits with the employer of staff in a school or other educational establishment. Depending on the type of establishment, the employer may be the local authority, trust, diocese or proprietor. The Government is taking the potential impact from the Grenfell Tower seriously and as such, we are taking a strategic approach to the assessment of the wider public sector estate. The Department is undertaking an analysis of all school buildings to identify those over four storeys high, to ensure we include all buildings that are over 18m in our analysis. This analysis is to establish what, if any, external cladding has been used on these buildings.

Schools: Finance

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the real terms per pupil change in the overall schools budget will be in each of the next three years taking into account salary and national insurance increases, the apprenticeship levy and anticipated growth in pupil numbers.

Nick Gibb: The Government wants to make sure that all pupils, regardless of where they live or their background, receive a good education that enables them to fulfil their potential. We have made significant progress as there are now 1.8 million more pupils in schools that are rated as good or outstanding than there were in 2010. We want to ensure every school has the resources it needs to deliver an excellent education for every pupil. That is why the core schools budget has been protected in real terms since 2010 and is set to rise from £41 billion in 2017-18 to over £42 billion in 2019-20 with increasing pupil numbers. We know that the way in which schools use their money is also an important factor in delivering the best outcomes for pupils. We will, therefore, continue to provide support to help them use their funding in cost effective ways. The Government has produced tools, information and guidance to support improved financial health and efficiency in schools, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/schools-financial-health-and-efficiency.Further details on the Government’s plans will be available in due course.

Grammar Schools

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether it remains the Government's policy to allow the opening of new grammar schools.

Justine Greening: There was no education bill in the Queen’s Speech, and therefore the ban on opening new grammar schools will remain in place.

Schools: Sponsorship

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on the involvement of universities in academy sponsorship, the founding of free schools and charging maximum tuition fees.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on the number of independent schools involved in academy sponsorship or the founding of free schools

Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I provided on 27/06/2017 to Question number 713 and 714.

Grammar Schools

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on the ban on the establishment of new selective schools.

Justine Greening: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I provided on 27/06/2017 to Question number 128.

Curriculum

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on introducing a curriculum fund to encourage cultural and scientific institutions to help develop knowledge-rich materials for schools.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department plans to allocate to the curriculum fund in (a) 2017-18, (b) 2018-19, (c) 2019-20, (d) 2020-21 and (e) 2021-22.

Nick Gibb: We want all pupils to benefit from a knowledge rich education. We will provide further details about the curriculum fund in due course.

Schools: Greater London

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with hon. Members for London constituencies, councillors from London local authorities and Greater London Assembly members on school funding since 1 January 2017.

Nick Gibb: Ministers and officials from the Department have met with a range of stakeholders from across the country to discuss school funding since 1 January 2017, as part of our consultation on schools and high needs national formulae.I have met hon. Members from across the House, including those who represent London constituencies, and have taken part in meetings with representatives from London Councils, and from London individual local authorities.I also responded to a Westminster Hall Debate on School Funding in London in March, with contributions from hon. Members from several London constituencies.We received over 25,000 responses to the consultation, which we are analysing in detail and will publish the response to the consultation in due course.

Schools: Finance

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to increase transparency in school budgets for parents; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department publishes information annually on income and expenditure for maintained schools and academies.Data on income and expenditure for academies is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-and-expenditure-in-academies-in-england-2014-to-2015Data on income and expenditure for maintained schools is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/la-and-school-expenditure-2015-to-2016-financial-year.We know that the way funding is distributed to schools in England is currently unfair and opaque. That is why we recently consulted on a national funding formula for schools, and why we will deliver on our commitment to make funding fairer and more transparent. We received over 25,000 responses to the consultation, which we are analysing in detail. We are grateful to all those who expressed their views on school funding and the proposed formula as part of this process. We will publish the response to the consultation in due course.

Children: Disability

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that disabled children are not prevented from participating in school trips and other activities as a result of having medical appointments classified as absences.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We know how important it is that children with medical conditions are supported to enjoy a full education. That is why we introduced a new duty to require governing bodies to make arrangements to support pupils with medical conditions and have provided statutory guidance outlining schools’ responsibilities in this area.In meeting this duty, governing bodies should ensure that the arrangements in their school are clear and unambiguous about the need to actively support pupils with medical conditions to participate in school trips and visits, or in sporting activities, and not prevent them from doing so.The guidance also makes clear that it is not generally acceptable practice to penalise children for their attendance record if their absences are related to their medical condition, such as hospital appointments.We continue to work with Ofsted, and organisations such as the Health Conditions in Schools Alliance who have experience in supporting children with medical conditions, to help raise awareness of the duty.

Independent Schools: Standards

Mr William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the proposals relating to independent schools in the Schools that Work for Everyone consultation document will be taken forward.

Justine Greening: As part of the Government's commitment to create more good school places, last September we published the consultation document: Schools that work for everyone. This asked how we could harness the resources and expertise of those in our independent schools to work in partnership to lift attainment across the wider school system.The Government has welcomed the way that our independent schools have actively considered and proposed what more they could do to raise attainment in state schools, in recognition of their responsibility to their own local communities. Over this Parliament, we intend to build on the positive and constructive conversations we have had with the sector to agree how they could do more to improve attainment for children from all backgrounds, and increase the number of good school places.Officials will continue to work with the Independent Schools Council to agree how best to take forward the proposals for more independent schools to support state schools.

Universities: Standards

Mr William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the proposals relating to universities in the Schools that Work for Everyone consultation document will be taken forward.

Justine Greening: As part of the Government's commitment to create more good school places, last September we published the consultation document: Schools that work for everyone. This asked how we could harness the resources and expertise of those in our higher education sector to work in partnership to lift attainment across the wider school system.The Government has welcomed the way that our world-class higher education institutions are willing to think afresh about what more they could do to raise attainment in state schools, in recognition of their responsibility to their own local communities.Universities are currently agreeing Access Agreements with the Office for Fair Access. Earlier this year, his strategic guidance to the sector, the Director for Fair Access set out an expectation that HEIs should set out in their access agreements how they will work with schools and colleges to raise attainment for those from disadvantaged and under-represented groups.The Government hopes and expects more universities will come forward to be involved in school sponsorship and free schools, including more mathematics schools, although support need not be limited to those means.

Schools: Finance

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to publish the outcome of the consultation on the school funding formula.

Nick Gibb: We received over 25,000 responses to the consultation, which we are analysing in detail. We are grateful to all those who expressed their views on school funding and the proposed formula as part of this process. We will publish the response to the consultation in due course.

Education: Disadvantaged

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the (a) higher education and (b) further edcuation participation rates for young people aged 18 to 25 are in (i) the 100 poorest Lower Super Output areas (LSOA) and (ii) the 100 richest Lower Super Output areas in England in each year for which data is available; and what the (A) town, (B) local authority area and (C) constituency was of each LSOA.

Joseph Johnson: Information on higher and further education participation rates by Lower Super Output areas is not available and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost. The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) publish the participation of 18 year olds who enter higher education aged 18 or 19 at ward level. http://www.hefce.ac.uk/analysis/yp/POLAR/ The further education (FE) and skills statistical first release (SFR) (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/further-education-and-skills-statistical-first-release-sfr) provides a range of headline figures. The FE and skills geography data tool provides data on FE and English and maths participation and achievements, and apprenticeship starts and achievements at the constituency, local education authority, local authority, and regional level. This is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/601753/FE-and-skills-geography-data-tool-v1.1.xlsm

Schools: Standards

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to publish the results of the Schools that work for everyone consultation.

Justine Greening: My department will provide further information on the consultation in due course.

Schools: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to publish the Government's response to the second stage of the consultation on the schools national funding formula.

Nick Gibb: We received over 25,000 responses to the consultation, which we are analysing in detail. We are grateful to all those who expressed their views on school funding and the proposed formula as part of this process. We will publish the response to the consultation in due course.

Teachers: Training

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on a new right to request (a) paid and (b) unpaid leave for training for teachers.

Nick Gibb: Requests relating to any circumstances of paid or unpaid leave are a matter for teachers’ employers – in the case of maintained schools this would be for head teachers, based on policies agreed with the Local Authority. For academies, this would be for the head teacher to agree with the academy governing board.

Schools: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, from which school year the proposed national funding formula for schools will apply.

Nick Gibb: We received over 25,000 responses to the consultation, which we are analysing in detail. We are grateful to all those who expressed their views on school funding and the proposed formula as part of this process. We will publish the response to the consultation in due course.

Schools: Harrow

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to increase funding for primary and secondary schools in Harrow in (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2019-20; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The core schools budget has been protected in real terms since 2010 and is set to rise from £41 billion in 2017-18 to over £42 billion in 2019-20 with increasing pupil numbers. We are considering the more than 25,000 responses we received to the consultation on the National Funding Formula, and will publish our response in due course.

Ministry of Justice

Community Rehabilitation Companies: Contracts

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many community rehabilitation companies have been required to pay a service credit to recompense for the minimum level of loss or damage as a result of the reduced provision of services.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much community rehabilitation companies paid back in service credits in each year since 2015.

Mr Sam Gyimah: I cannot provide this information because it is commercially sensitive.We hold providers rigorously to account for their performance and take action wherever they are falling short. Our contract management teams closely monitor and robustly manage providers to make sure they fulfil their contractual commitments to maintain service delivery, reduce reoffending, protect the public and provide value for money to the taxpayer. Service Credits can be applied when providers do not meet the required standards. Service Credits are a payment made by the Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC) back to the Government, as a means of compensating for services under the contract where the CRC fails to meet the contractual service levels expected.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many violent incidents there were per 1,000 population in prisons in each year for which data is available.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Data on assault incidents per 1,000 prisoners covering the 12 months to December 2007 to the 12 months to December 2016 can be found in the Ministry of Justice’s published ‘Safety in Custody statistics’:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-december-2016--2

Self-harm

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy to (a) record and (b) publish data on the number of incidents of self-harm.

Mr Sam Gyimah: All reported incidents of self-harm in prison are recorded. Data on these incidents are published quarterly in the Safety in Custody statistics, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/safety-in-custody-statistics

Prime Minister

Grenfell Tower: Fires

Diana Johnson: To ask the Prime Minister, whether the independent public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire will have the power to compel witnesses; and how much funding has been set aside for (a) the inquiry and (b) legal representation to the inquiry for victims.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Prime Minister, whether the terms of reference for the independent public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower tragedy will include how victims were treated in the aftermath of that tragedy; and how homeless survivors are supported by councils.

Mrs Theresa May: The independent inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire will be set up under the Inquiries Act 2005 and will be publicly funded. This will include funding for legal representation for the victims and families of those affected the devastating fire. It will have the power to compel witnesses. As I said in my oral statement on 22 June, all those with an interest—including survivors and victims’ families—will be consulted about the terms of reference (22 June 2017, Official Report, column 168),An announcement on the Inquiry will be made shortly.

Ministry of Defence

RAF St Athan

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 24 April 2017 to Question 70761, what estimate his Department has made of the costs of (a) staff relocation, (b) movement of equipment and (c) upgrading of buildings associated with transferring No. 4 School of Technical Training to Cosford; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her by my hon. Friend the then Minister for Defence Veterans, Reserves and Personnel (Mark Lancaster) on 24 April 2017 to Question 70761.



70761 - WQnA extract on RAF St Athan
(PDF Document, 66.17 KB)

Armed Forces: Discrimination

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to make it a specific offence to discriminate against and abuse members of the armed forces.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Any offence motivated by hate or prejudice against the Armed Forces is very concerning, and the courts are already fully empowered to take such factors into account when deciding on the appropriate sentence.

Veterans

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will create a veterans register to help identify and support the needs of veterans (a) generally and (b) during the transition back into civilian life.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has no plans to create a register of veterans.The Department has, however, sponsored the inclusion of questions about veterans in the Office for National Statistics' Annual Population Survey (APS) in order to provide the evidence base required by Government, third parties and the private sector to aid policy development in support of the Armed Forces Covenant and to better understand the UK Armed Forces veteran population in Great Britain. The APS has enabled analysis of veterans by socio-demographic characteristics including: gender, age, location, health, smoking status, employment and accommodation (housing). The latest publication for 2015 is available at the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/annual-population-survey-uk-armed-forces-veterans-residing-in-great-britain-2015.The vast majority of Service leavers make a smooth transition from military to civilian life. Support for veterans, like all other members of the general population, is provided by the wider Government including local authorities and the Devolved Administrations. The MOD is determined to ensure that veterans who require help are provided with appropriate support including through the Veterans UK helpline and website, the Veterans Welfare Service and the Veterans Information Service which contacts veterans 12 months after their discharge.Most recently, the launch of the Veterans Gateway on 20 June provided by a consortium of charities led by the Royal British Legion provides extra support in the form of a staffed, 24-hour, one-stop-shop offering guidance on accessing public, private and charitable services in the UK.

Veterans

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much has been spent on supporting veterans injured on active service in each of the last five years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: This information is not held as support for veterans, including those injured on active service, is the responsibility of the Government as a whole, including the NHS, local authorities and the Devolved Administrations. The Ministry of Defence provides support to veterans through the Veterans UK helpline and website, the Veterans Welfare Service and the Veterans Information Service which contacts veterans 12 months after their discharge. In addition, the recent launch of the Veterans Gateway on 20 June (provided by a consortium of charities led by the Royal British Legion) provides extra support in the form of a staffed, 24-hour, one-stop-shop offering guidance on accessing public, private and charitable services in the UK.

Veterans: Homelessness

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support he plans to make available to homeless veterans in the next five years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence does not have primary responsibility for homeless veterans but works closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), other Government Departments, veterans' organisations and other service providers to ensure a coordinated and structured approach to homelessness amongst a small minority of veterans. Our aim is both to prevent new Service leavers becoming homeless and to provide an effective safety net for existing homeless veterans. Current measures to achieve this include enhanced housing advice and assistance to all Service personnel, and an extension of the Forces Help to Buy Scheme until 2018. In addition, the DCLG has extended the period within which veterans are given priority for Government funded shared ownership schemes, from 12 to 24 months after service. Support to our veterans, including the homeless, is provided through the Veterans UK helpline and website, the Veterans Welfare Service and the Veterans Information Service which contacts veterans 12 months after their discharge. The Veterans Gateway, launched on 20 June by a consortium of charities led by the Royal British Legion, provides a 24 hour advice service to help with issues such as finance, housing and health.

RAF St Athan

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 24 April 2017 to Question 70832, whether he has carried out an impact assessment of effect of relocation on (a) 614 RAF Auxiliary Squadron, (b) University of Wales Air Squadron, (c) 2300 Air Cadets Squadron, (d) Regional Rehabilitation Unit for Wales and the Midlands and (e) the Band of the Prince of Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Yes, there is an ongoing assessment process as part of the proposed move of No. 4 School of Technical Training from Ministry of Defence St Athan to RAF Cosford, which examines the impact of the potential move on other units. For the current position, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her by my hon. Friend the then Minister for Defence Veterans, Reserves and Personnel (Mark Lancaster) on 24 April 2017 to Question 70832.



70832 - WQnA extract on RAF St Athan
(PDF Document, 66.43 KB)

RAF St Athan

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 24 April 2017 to Question 70759, what plans are in place to expand existing sport and recreation facilities on his Department's St Athan site; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: A detailed assessment of the future development at St Athan is on-going in order to make the site fit for purpose as one of our centres of mass for light infantry battalions which was announced in November 2016 in the estate optimisation strategy "A Better Defence Estate". The Ministry of Defence will identify any requirement for the development of additional sports and recreation facilities as part of this assessment.

RAF St Athan

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 24 April 2017 to Question 70831, if he will place in the Library copies of discussion papers on the proposed relocation of his Department's St Athan No. 4 School of Technical Training to RAF Cosford; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her by my hon. Friend the then Minister for Defence Veterans, Reserves and Personnel (Mark Lancaster) on 24 April 2017 to Question 70831.



Hansard Extract 24 April 2017
(PDF Document, 65.96 KB)

Ministry of Defence: Procurement

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 24 April 2017 to Question 70755, if he will place the 2017 Initial Gate Business Case for Project CUBIT in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her by my hon. Friend the then Minister for Defence Veterans, Reserves and Personnel (Mark Lancaster) on 24 April 2017 to Question 70755.



70755 - WQnA extract on MOD Procurement
(PDF Document, 62.3 KB)

Army: Staff

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will set out the number of Army personnel, by rank, who were listed as (a) regulars and (b) reservists in each of the last 24 months.

Mark Lancaster: The number of Army personnel, by rank, who were listed as regulars and reservists in each of the last 24 months are shown in the attached tables.The figures are for the total Regular Army and Army Future Reserves 2020, trained and untrained personnel. They exclude Gurkhas and Non-FR20 Reserve populations.  



52 - Regulars and Reservists strength by rank
(Word Document, 76.26 KB)

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many soldiers and officers have been recruited to the (a) army and (b) reserve forces in the last two years, broken down by regiment.

Mark Lancaster: The number of soldiers and officers who have joined the Regular Army and Army Reserves in the last two financial years (FY), broken down by Regiment/Corps is shown in the attached tables. The figures are for total (trained and untrained) intake to the Regular Army and Army Future Reserves 2020 (FR20), excluding Gurkhas and Non-FR20 Reserve populations.  



855 - Recruited Army Regulars and Reserves
(Word Document, 35.1 KB)

Veterans

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the Department's funding for projects supporting Armed Forces veterans by local authority area in each year since 2010.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: This information is not held in the format requested. However, details of all grants made by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund since 2015 are available on the Covenant Fund website:https://www.armedforcescovenant.gov.uk/covenant-fund-awards-2015-2016/https://www.armedforcescovenant.gov.uk/covenant-fund-large-grants-2015-2016/

Department for Work and Pensions

Children: Poverty

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many children live in poverty in Glasgow East constituency.

Caroline Dinenage: National statistics on the number of children in relative low income are set out in the annual "Households Below Average Income" publication. The number and proportion of children in relative low income is not available at local authority or constituency level in this publication because the survey sample sizes are too small to support the production of robust estimates at this geography.

Personal Independence Payment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what indicators his Department plans to use to measure the quality of assessment reports produced by personal independence payment assessment suppliers.

Penny Mordaunt: The Department robustly monitors the performance of contracted suppliers and assessments are independently audited to ensure that the advice provided to the Department’s decision makers is of suitable quality, fully explained and justified. Assessment reports deemed unacceptable are returned to the provider for reworking. We continue to work extensively with PIP assessment providers to make improvements to guidance, training and audit procedures in order to ensure a quality service is maintained. The Contractual target is 97% acceptable reports. Detailed guidance on how reports are audited and the criteria to be used are set out in section 4.5 of the Personal Independence Payment Assessment Guide, which can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/547146/pip-assessment-guide.pdf.

Employment: Musculoskeletal Disorders

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support people with arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions to return to and to stay in work.

Penny Mordaunt: We want to see disabled people and people with health conditions, including those living with arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions, to fulfil their full potential in work and go as far as their talents and drive can take them. We are reforming current Government schemes that support disabled people and those with health conditions to return to and stay in work, for example through Access to Work. Access to Work is a grant scheme for individuals to cover the additional costs of working that arise as a result of a disability or health condition. We are also encouraging all employers to sign-up to the Disability Confident scheme which is designed to help employers access the talents of disabled people and retain them in the workplace. The Work, Health and Disability Green paper set out plans to develop a 10-year strategy that focuses on transforming employment prospects of disabled people and people with long term health conditions – both by getting people into work as well as retaining those already in employment. The government is committed to ensuring disabled people have better employment outcomes.

State Retirement Pensions

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of ending the triple lock on pensions on pensioner poverty.

Guy Opperman: The Government is committed to ensuring economic security for people at every stage of their life, including when they reach retirement. The Government is also clear that fairness between the generations must be maintained. We are committed to the Triple Lock for the remainder of this Parliament.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his policy is on benefits for disabled people over the course of this Parliament.

Penny Mordaunt: We are committed to ensuring our welfare system is a strong safety net for those with disabilities and long-term health conditions. We will ensure that support is both sustainable and targeted to those who need it most, and will continually look at ways of improving the delivery of disability benefits. The Government received around 6000 responses to the Improving Lives Green Paper on work, health and disability. We are carefully considering the Consultation responses and next steps will be outlined in due course.

Social Security Benefits: Mental Illness

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what adjustments his Department makes to ensure that people with (a) a history of suicide or self-harm and (b) other mental health conditions are treated with appropriate care and caution during benefits assessments.

Penny Mordaunt: If an individual has a mental health condition or there is any indication that a claimant has suicidal thoughts or intentions, assessors are trained to explore the person’s circumstances carefully. Assessors approach this issue with sensitivity and ask questions in a structured way that is appropriate to the individual, based on their knowledge of the claimant’s clinical history and their judgement on the claimant’s current mental state If the assessor has concerns that a claimant is at substantial and imminent risk with regard to self-harm or suicide, they have a professional responsibility to act quickly in order to safeguard the claimant’s welfare; this might include speaking to the claimant’s GP, and/or calling an ambulance. Companions are encouraged to accompany the claimant to a face to face consultation and can play an active role. This is helpful for claimants with mental, cognitive or intellectual impairments, who cannot provide an accurate account of their condition due to a lack of understanding, or unrealistic expectations of their ability. Further information on Work Capability Assessments can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/535065/wca-handbook-july-2016.pdf. Further information on Personal Independence Payment Assessments can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210722/pip-assessment-guide.pdf

Disability Living Allowance: : Coventry South

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people are in receipt of disability living allowance payments in Coventry South constituency.

Penny Mordaunt: The latest available parliamentary constituency data on Disability Living Allowance (DLA) claims in payment can be found at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html.

Children: Maintenance

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, (a) how many and (b) what level of fines have been levied against husbands or partners who avoided paying child maintenance in each year since the introduction of the Child Support Act 1991; and what other sanctions have been imposed on people in that period.

Caroline Dinenage: The only fines that can be imposed relating to child maintenance are as a result of criminal prosecution for failure to provide information or providing false information for the purposes of calculating the child maintenance liability. These fines are imposed by a court, information about fines is not recorded by my Department for management information purposes, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Within child maintenance enforcement, “sanctions” generally refers to powers used as a last resort, when other enforcement actions have not resulted in successful collection of arrears. DWP publish information on enforcement actions. Information on both civil and criminal enforcement actions undertaken by the Child Support Agency (CSA) is only available from April 2007. This can be found in Table 22 of the latest CSA Quarterly Summary of Statistics, available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-support-agency-quarterly-summary-of-statistics-march-2017 . This includes information on a variety of enforcement actions, including commitment to prison and disqualification from driving (in the Committals section), along with information on the number of prosecutions that have been undertaken. Information on civil and criminal enforcement action undertaken by the Child Maintenance Service is published on Table 16 of the Child Maintenance Service Experimental Statistics, which contains data between September 2015 and March 2017. The publication can be accessed online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/2012-statutory-child-maintenance-scheme-aug-2013-to-mar-2017-experimental . These statistics do not include detail on the different types of enforcement action, so do not include the number of sanction actions taken.

Personal Independence Payment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will review the availability of assessments for Personal Independence Payment at weekends.

Penny Mordaunt: The Department is continually reviewing and refining the Personal Independence Payment process in order to improve its efficiency, effectiveness and the claimant experience. Weekend appointments are utilised when appropriate to improve the customer journey and reduce waiting times for appointments.

Jobcentres: Batley

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason his Department did not undertake a consultation into the closure of Batley Jobcentre Plus.

Damian Hinds: There was no public consultation on the proposal to close Batley Jobcentre as the proposed move to merge with Dewsbury Jobcentre is approximately 1.9 miles away and 19 minutes by public transport. We committed to a public consultation for offices over three miles and 20 minutes away by public transport.

Fibrous Dysplasia

Matt Warman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what financial support his Department provides for sufferers of fibrous dysplasia.

Penny Mordaunt: Claimants with Fibrous dysplasia may be entitled to a wide range of benefits depending on their circumstances, including disability benefits such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP) if they have needs related to daily living or mobility.

Employment: Disability

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that insurance requirements do not prevent (a) deaf and (b) other disabled people from entering employment.

Penny Mordaunt: This question has been interpreted to be about Employers’ Liability Compulsory Insurance (ELCI). The Employers’ Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 requires most employers to insure against liability for injury or disease to their employees arising out of that employment. ELCI insures employers against the costs of compensation for those employees who are injured or made ill at work through the fault of their employer. It provides greater security to firms against costs which could otherwise result in financial difficulty; and to employees that resources will be available for compensation even where firms have become insolvent. There is nothing to suggest that requiring an employer to have compulsory insurance prevents deaf and other disabled people from entering employment. As the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, I am the champion for disabled people, and work with colleagues across Government to help ensure that disabled people can enjoy full equality of experience and participation across society.

Jobcentres: Newton-le-willows

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to announce a decision on the future of Newton-le-Willows job centre.

Damian Hinds: The Department intends to confirm its plans for the DWP estate, including Newton-le-Willows Jobcentre, soon and will make a statement in due course.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Hunting

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the Government's policy is on fox hunting.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government’s manifesto includes a free vote on the Hunting Act 2004.

Land: Contamination

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's strategy and targets are for the remediation of contaminated land.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: There are no central targets for the remediation of contaminated land. The majority (around 90 per cent) is remediated via the planning system as part of development and redevelopment. Some of the remaining land is cleaned up voluntarily by landowners. Legislation under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 is used to clean up land contamination where there is no market solution. Local authorities, and in the case of special sites[i], the Environment Agency, are the regulatory authorities under the Act for ensuring that land contamination that is posing an unacceptable risk is identified and cleaned up. The Act requires each local authority to have an inspection strategy in place to identify potentially contaminated land in their areas.   [i] Sites that have undergone a specific use as listed under section (2) of the Contaminated Land (England) Regulations 2006 are designated as special sites, and include sites that are affecting controlled waters or contain radioactive material.

Sheep Meat: USA

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made on agreeing a bilateral trade deal to export British lamb to the US since 27 July 2016.

George Eustice: The US authorities are currently in the process of amending their regulation to formally lift their ban on EU ruminant products (including lamb). Defra has provided the US authorities with required information on the UK animal and public health controls to review equivalence with US requirements. Once their review is complete we will welcome the US to conduct an in-country inspection visit.

Home Office

Nurses: Visas

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visas to work in the UK have been issued for people taking up nursing positions in the NHS in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: The information you have requested is not included in statistics published by the Home Office.

Hunting Act 2004

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure the Hunting Act 2004 is fully enforced.

Mr Nick Hurd: The police have stated their commitment to enforcing the Hunting Act. Enforcement is an operational matter for the police.It is therefore a decision for individual chief officers how and in what manner they will respond to hunting issues.

Police: Wales

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will list the number of police officers, by rank, employed in each of the four geographic forces in Wales in each of the last 24 months.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office collects and publishes data biannually on the total number of police officers employed by each police force in England and Wales. These data can be found in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletins.Detailed data on the number of officers by rank is collected and published on an annual basis only. The statistics for each of the four geographic forces in Wales, representing the picture as at 31 March 2016, can be found in Table_H4 accompanying the main release here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-31-march-2016Data for previous years can be found in the Open Data tables, available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/539270/open-data-table-police-workforce.odsThe next release of ‘Police workforce’ statistics is due to be published on 20th July, and will represent the picture as at 31 March 2017.

Refugees: Syria

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been resettled in each constituency under the Vulnerable Person Resettlement scheme.

Brandon Lewis: Progress on resettlement under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement scheme is indicated in quarterly immigration statistics, and is broken down by each local authority. The last set of statistics, published on 25 May, showed that 7,307 Syrians have been resettled across 235 different local authorities since the scheme began.

Police: Per Capita Costs

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate she has made of the average annual cost to a police authority of employing a (a) police officer and (b) police community support officer; and what estimate she has made of that cost for each year from 2017-18 to 2021-22.

Mr Nick Hurd: Average full-time equivalent costs for police officers and PCSOs in 2016/17 are £50,200 and £28,400 respectively (including pay, National Insurance and pension contributions). We have not provided estimates for future costs, as these would be subject to future workforce decisions.

Cryptography: Social Media

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she intends to activate the Section 253 Maintenance of Technical Capability power contained in the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 in connection with messaging services featuring end-to-end encryption, such as Whatsapp or Telegram.

Mr Ben  Wallace: The Government is committed to working with telecommunications operators to ensure that the security and intelligence agencies and law enforcement are able to access the data they need to protect the public.In due course the Government will commence the Technical Capability Notice provisions and will bring forward regulations, on which we have already held a targeted consultation with relevant bodies. These regulations will set out the obligations which can be imposed on telecommunications and postal operators. As with all secondary legislation subject to the affirmative resolution procedure, these regulations will be subject to debate and a vote in both Houses of Parliament before they come into effect.It has been a long standing position of successive governments not to comment on which companies are or are not subject to obligations to provide assistance in relation to investigatory powers.

Places of Worship Security Funding Scheme

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many places of worship that have applied for security support from the scheme for security funding for places of worship have had work completed in (a) Batley and Spen, (b) each region of the UK and (c) total.

Sarah Newton: The First year of the places of worship scheme was open from 26 July to 4 October 2016. Work has been completed at 54 places of worship, which can be broken down by region as follows: Kent (1), Devon (3), Lincolnshire (2), Hertfordshire (3), Wales (2), Shropshire (1), Staffordshire (2), London (9), Cheshire (1), Birmingham (7), Yorkshire (9), Gloucestershire (4), Worcestershire (1), Tyne & Wear (1), Hampshire (1), Bedfordshire (2), Dorset (1), West Midlands (1), County Durham (1), Norfolk (1)

Places of Worship Security Funding Scheme

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many places of worship applied for security support from the scheme for security funding for places of worship in (a) Batley and Spen, (b) each region and constituent part of the United Kingdom and (c) total.

Sarah Newton: The first year of the places of worship scheme was open from 26 July to 4 October 2016.286 places of worship applied, which can be broken down by region as follows: First Year – 286Bedfordshire (10), Birmingham (14), Cambridgeshire (2), Cheshire (7), County Durham (2), Devon (4), Dorset (4), Derbyshire (2), Essex (8), Gloucestershire (15), Hampshire (1), Hertfordshire (5), Kent (7), Lancashire (15), London (68), Leicestershire (5), Lincolnshire (4), Merseyside (7), Northamptonshire (1), Oxfordshire (3), Sussex (4), Surrey (6), Staffordshire (70, Tyne and Wear (9), West Midlands (19), Wiltshire (6), Worcestershire (2), Wales (13) and Yorkshire (33). In the second year of the scheme, 54 places of worship applied broken down as follows:Second Year – 54Kent (1), Devon (3), Lincolnshire (2), Hertfordshire (3), Wales (2), Shropshire (1), Staffordshire (2), London (9), Cheshire (1), Birmingham (7), Yorkshire (9), Gloucestershire (4), Worcestershire (1), Tyne & Wear (1), Hampshire (1), Bedfordshire (2), Dorset (1), West Midlands (1), County Durham (1), Norfolk (1)

Counter-terrorism: Police

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential effect of re-prioritising funding for counter-terror policing on (a) community policing and (b) other policing functions.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government is in regular dialogue with the police to ensure that the right powers, capabilities and resources are in place across all areas of policing.The 2015 Spending Review protected overall police spending in real terms, and the 2017/18 police funding settlement maintained that protection. Since 2010, police forces have increased the proportion of officers working at the frontline and proven that you can continue to cut crime with a smaller, more agile workforce. Crimes traditionally measured by the independent Crime Survey for England and Wales have fallen by a third since 2010, to a record low.Keeping families, communities and our country safe is this Government’s priority, so in addition, we have protected Counter-Terrorism police spend in real terms over the Spending Review period and invested in counter-terrorism policing to grow key capabilities, including providing £144m to increase armed policing capability. We remain committed to increasing cross-government spending on counter-terrorism by 30%, from £11.7 billion to £15.1 billion, including funding an additional 1,900 officers at our security and intelligence agencies.We have also continued to protect investment in Regional Organised Crime Units (ROCUs), who deliver specialist capabilities to tackle serious and organised crime on behalf of police forces. The ROCUs play a crucial role in the law enforcement response to SOC, acting as the main interface between the National Crime Agency (NCA) and 43 police forces of England and Wales. Last year saw the largest collective financial investment by Police and Crime Commissioners in ROCUs since they were formed. This should be seen as a strong signal of both the government and policing’s continued commitment to tackling the serious harms caused by SOC to the most vulnerable members of our communities up and down the country.

Counter-terrorism: Police

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will increase the level of funding for counter-terror policing in areas where that function has been strengthened.

Mr Ben  Wallace: For reasons of national security we do not publically disclose the detailed allocation of funding for counter terrorism by force area or by capability. However, overall this Government has protected Counter-Terrorism police spend in real terms over the Spending Review period, and invested in counter-terrorism policing to grow key capabilities, including providing £144m to increase armed policing capability.We remain committed to increasing cross-government spending on counter-terrorism by 30%, from £11.7 billion to £15.1 billion, including funding an additional 1,900 officers at our security and intelligence agencies. The Government has a constructive dialogue with policing to ensure that the right powers, capabilities and resources are in place.

Counter-terrorism

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many referrals under the Prevent strategy concerned far-right motives; and how many of those referrals have been acted upon.

Mr Ben  Wallace: A small number of Prevent referrals that require more considered Intervention are referred into the Channel Programme. At present around a third of these are related to the Extreme Right Wing.

Police

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the risk to security of a reduction in front-line policing.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made on the effect of a reduction in the Police Force budget on the police's capacity to tackle serious crime.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government is in regular dialogue with the police to ensure that the right powers, capabilities and resources are in place across all areas of policing.The 2015 Spending Review protected overall police spending in real terms, and the 2017/18 police funding settlement maintained that protection. Since 2010, police forces have increased the proportion of officers working at the frontline and proven that you can continue to cut crime with a smaller, more agile workforce. Crimes traditionally measured by the independent Crime Survey for England and Wales have fallen by a third since 2010, to a record low.Keeping families, communities and our country safe is this Government’s priority, so in addition, we have protected Counter-Terrorism police spend in real terms over the Spending Review period and invested in counter-terrorism policing to grow key capabilities, including providing £144m to increase armed policing capability. We remain committed to increasing cross-government spending on counter-terrorism by 30%, from £11.7 billion to £15.1 billion, including funding an additional 1,900 officers at our security and intelligence agencies.We have also continued to protect investment in Regional Organised Crime Units (ROCUs), who deliver specialist capabilities to tackle serious and organised crime on behalf of police forces. The ROCUs play a crucial role in the law enforcement response to SOC, acting as the main interface between the National Crime Agency (NCA) and 43 police forces of England and Wales. Last year saw the largest collective financial investment by Police and Crime Commissioners in ROCUs since they were formed. This should be seen as a strong signal of both the government and policing’s continued commitment to tackling the serious harms caused by SOC to the most vulnerable members of our communities up and down the country.

Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been subject to Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures in each of the last five years.

Mr Ben  Wallace: Terrorism Prevent and Investigation Measures replaced Control Orders in 2011 as one means for the Home Secretary to disrupt an individual involved in terrorism-related activity who cannot be prosecuted and/or deported. The number of TPIMs in force is published quarterly by the Home Secretary in a written ministerial statement. In total, there have been 18 individuals subject to a TPIM since the legislation was introduced. In 2012, there were ten individuals subject to a TPIM notice, in 2013 nine, in 2014 one, in 2015 three, and in 2016 seven.We will publish written ministerial statements covering figures for the first and second quarter of 2017 soon.

Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people are currently subject to terrorism prevention and investigation measures.

Mr Ben  Wallace: The Home Secretary’s quarterly report to Parliament reports on the number of individuals subject to a Terrorism Prevent and Investigation Measures (TPIM) notice. The most recent written ministerial statement, HCWS362, published on 15 December 2016, reported that there were 7 TPIM notices in force as of 30 November 2016.We will publish written ministerial statements covering figures for the first and second quarter of 2017 soon.

Counter-terrorism

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Queen's Speech 2017, who will sit on the commission for countering extremism and how does the Government plans to appoint the commissioners to the commission.

Sarah Newton: The Government is considering options for establishing the process by which Commissioners are appointed.

Counter-terrorism

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Queen's Speech 2017, what the timescale will be for the review of the Government's counter-terrorism strategy.

Mr Ben  Wallace: We will review our counter-terrorism arrangements to ensure that we are doing everything possible to address the threat from terrorism and to keep the public safe, drawing on lessons from the recent attacks in London and Manchester.This review will ensure that the police and the security services have the powers they need and that the prison sentences for those found guilty of terror offences are sufficient to keep us all safe. The review will also consider what further steps need to be taken to halt the spread of extremist material and poisonous propaganda online, so there are no safe spaces on the internet for terrorists.MI5 and the police are conducting an internal review into the recent terrible attacks in Manchester and London. David Anderson QC will provide external assurance of the MI5 and police review. This independent scrutiny will provide confidence that the work is thorough and the Government will take forward recommendations that may arise. The findings of this review work will feed into a new counter-terrorism strategy.

Hate Crime: Internet

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Government plans to convene the ministerial seminar on hate on the  internet referred to in Action Against Hate: The UK Government's plan for tackling hate crime, published in July 2016; and which Government departments will be consulted prior to that seminar on which victims' groups, stakeholders and industry representatives will be invited to attend.

Sarah Newton: The ministerial seminar on the internet referred to in Action Against Hate: The UK Government's plan for tackling hate crime, published in July 2016 will be held before the end of the year. Officials, from the Home Office, the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Department for Culture Media and Sports, Department for Education, the Ministry of Justice and criminal justice agencies are already consulting on the content and form of the proposed seminar.

Waste Disposal: Worksop

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the potential cost to the fire service in the event of a major fire at the waste site at Sandy Lane, Worksop.

Mr Nick Hurd: It is the responsibility of individual fire and rescue authorities to assess and plan for potential risks at sites in their local area, as part of the process of the Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) for their area. The scale and costs of meeting these needs is therefore a matter for the local fire and rescue service.The Chief Fire Officers Association have worked closely with Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH), and Environment Agency, to provide industry advice on minimising fire risk.

Firearms: Licensing

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 12 January 2017 to Question 59293, what progress has been made on the development of the IT system for section 5 prohibited firearms licensing applications.

Mr Nick Hurd: Licensing of section 5 prohibited firearms is administered by the Home Office, and it is anticipated that the new IT system for section 5 licensing applications will be implemented later this summer.

Hate Crime

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidents of hate crime have been reported in the last 12 months.

Sarah Newton: The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on the number of hate crimes recorded by the police on an annual basis. In 2015/16, the most recently published data, the police recorded 62,518 hate crimes in England and Wales. The statistical bulletin, which includes data for earlier years, can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hate-crime-england-and-wales-2015-to-2016This Government is committed to tackling hate crime. The UK has a strong legislative framework to tackle hate crime. We are working across Government with police, (including National Community Tensions Team), the Crown Prosecution Service and community partners to send out a clear message that hate crime will not be tolerated and we will vigorously pursue and prosecute those who commit these crimes.

HM Treasury

Landfill Tax: Worksop

John Mann: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the merits of the proposal by the hon. Member for Bassetlaw on the removal of landfill taxes to assist the removal of waste from the abandoned waste site at Sandy Lane, Worksop.

John Mann: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HM Treasury officials have held meetings with other Government Departments in 2017 to discuss the removal of landfill tax from abandoned waste sites owned by the Crown Estate.

John Mann: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the value of the waste site at Sandy Lane, Worksop.

Mel Stride: The previous Financial Secretary, in a letter to the hon. Member for Bassetlaw dated 19th April 2017, set out that a waiver of landfill tax for such cases would set a perverse incentive which may lead to the abandonment of other such waste sites. Therefore it would be counterproductive to waive the landfill tax liability in this case. I agree with this assessment. HM Treasury has made no estimate as to the value of the site at Sandy Lane, Worksop. HM Treasury has not held any meetings with other government departments concerning the removal of landfill tax from abandoned waste sites owned by the Crown Estate.

EU Grants and Loans: Wales

Stephen Doughty: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether funding for Wales currently provided through all EU programmes will be matched by the Government after 2020.

Elizabeth Truss: The government has announced a number of guarantees for EU funding. These include: structural and investment fund projects signed before the UK leaves the EU, awards made by the European Commission following competitive bid processes, and maintaining the current level of agricultural funding under CAP pillar 1 until 2020. Beyond these priorities, decisions on the replacement of EU funding will be taken in light of wider UK strategic priorities and other domestic spending decisions.

Connaught Income Series 1 Fund

Royston Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress the Financial Conduct Authority has made in the investigation of the Connaught Income Fund.

Stephen Barclay: This is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is operationally independent from Government. This question has been passed on to the FCA. They will reply directly to the Honourable Member by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the library of the House.

Welfare Tax Credits

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people received income tax exemption for personal tax credits in (a) 2014-15, (b) 2015-16 and (c) 2016-17.

Mel Stride: Personal tax credits are not taxable. All those benefiting from tax credits awards in each of the years requested will have been exempt from income tax on these payments. Personal tax credit statistics data for 2014-15 and 2015-16 is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-tax-credits-statistics Finalised statistics for 2016-17 will be published in due course.

Tax Allowances: Charities

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people received income tax exemption for the income of charities in (a) 2014-15, (b) 2015-16 and (c) 2016-17.

Mel Stride: It is estimated that around 740,000 people received income tax relief for donations to charity for tax year 2014-15. It is projected that 764,000 and 784,000 people will receive income tax relief for donations to charities for tax years 2015-16 and 2016-17 respectively. These estimates are based on the 2014-15 Survey of Personal Incomes, and projected to 2015-16 and 2016-17 using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March 2017 economic and fiscal outlook.

Tax Allowances: Landlords

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people received income tax relief for wear and tear allowance in (a) 2014-15, (b) 2015-16 and (c) 2016-17.

Mel Stride: The most recent complete dataset for self-assessment UK property tax returns (SA105) is for 2014/15. That dataset shows that there were 800,000 returns that contained claims for wear and tear allowance. This allowance can also be claimed by partnerships and individuals who complete short tax returns. However, in those instances claims for wear and tear are grouped and claimed together with other allowable expenses. Therefore it is not possible to identify the number of partnership and short tax returns that contain wear and tear relief claims.

Tax Allowances: Film

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people received film tax relief in (a) 2014-15, (b) 2015-16 and (c) 2016-17.

Mel Stride: Reliefs to support the film production sector are not granted to individual investors, but to film production companies. Film production companies can claim the relief only for the production of individual films.HM Revenue and Customs publishes official statistics on the number of films claiming and receiving the Film Tax Relief on an annual basis. The statistics are available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/creative-industries-statistics-july-2016The most recent update was published in July 2016 and includes figures up to 2015-16. The number of films which claimed the Film Tax Relief was 255 in 2014-15 and 210 (a provisional number subject to revision) in 2015-16.Figures for 2016-17 will be published in due course.

Pay: Economic Regions

Jim McMahon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government has made a recent assessment of wage growth across the regions.

Stephen Barclay: In the year to 2016, earnings for an average full-time employee grew in every UK region and nation. Earnings grew fastest in the West Midlands (+3.7%), followed by the North West (+3.0%) and Wales (+2.9%). In April this year we increased the National Living Wage by 4.2% to £7.50. The increase is expected to directly benefit around 1.7 million workers across the UK.

Research and Development Tax Credit

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people received research and development tax credits in (a) 2014-15, (b) 2015-16 and (c) 2016-17.

Mel Stride: Research and development tax credits are claimed by companies. The number of companies claiming tax relief on research and development in 2014-15 was 20,935. HM Revenue and Customs publish this information within a statistics release at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/corporate-tax-research-and-development-tax-credit The next publication will include information for 2015-16. Information for later years are not yet available.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will list the civil servants and the meetings they attended in Brussels on 19 June 2017 for the first round of Article 50 negotiations.

Mr Steve Baker: The following senior civil servants, at grades SCS2 and above, took part in the first round of the negotiations on 19 June 2017. Oliver Robbins, DExEUSir Tim Barrow, UKRepGlyn Williams, Home OfficeAlex Ellis, DExEUMark Bowman, HMTSimon Case, UKRepJonathan Black, HMTChris Jones, DExEUCatherine Webb, DExEUCatherine Adams, DExEUDaniel Denman, DExEUMatt Baugh, DExEUIan Walsh, DWP The agenda for the day, setting out the meetings attended by officials, can be found here: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/publications/agenda-19-june-meeting-between-eu-and-uk-article-50-negotiations_en. See below:Opening of the negotiations between the EU and the UK on the withdrawal of the UK from the European Union by Michel Barnier, the European Commission's Chief Negotiator, and David Davis, UK Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union 11.00 : Opening session (Michel Barnier and Secretary of State David Davis) plus officials 12.30 : Working lunch between Michel Barnier and Secretary of State David Davis 14.00 – 16.30 : Working groups 16.30 : Meeting of coordinators (Sabine Weyand, European Commission's Deputy Chief Negotiator and Olly Robbins, Permanent Secretary, UK Department for Exiting the EU) 17.30 : Closing session (Michel Barnier and Secretary of State David Davis) 18:30 (approx): Joint press conference by Michel Barnier and Secretary of State David Davis, BERL press room

Manufacturing Industries: North East

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what plans he has to ensure that negotiations on the UK leaving the EU do not result in any job losses in the North East's manufacturing sector.

Mr Steve Baker: We will secure a deal that works for the entire United Kingdom. We want to ensure that UK companies, including those in the North East, have the maximum freedom to trade with and operate within European markets. As a priority, we will seek a bold and ambitious Free Trade Agreement that is of greater scope and ambition than any such existing agreement. We want to have the greatest possible tariff- and barrier-free trade with our European neighbours. And we want to have a new customs agreement with the EU that supports these objectives. Furthermore, the Government’s industrial strategy green paper sets out our plan to improve living standards and economic growth by increasing productivity and driving growth across the whole country, including in the North East.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Television: Licensing

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether it is her Department's policy to retain the entitlement to free television licences for the over-75s for the period 2020 to 2022.

Matt Hancock: We retain the power to maintain free TV licences for over 75s until 2020, when the power transfers to the BBC. Any change proposed by the BBC would of course require consultation with the public.

Mass Media

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she will take to ensure the reliability and objectivity of information essential to our democracy and a free and independent press; and if she will make a statement.

Matt Hancock: The Government will always protect the reliability and objectivity of information essential to our democracy and a free and independent press.

Social Media: Taxation

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to introduce an industry-wide levy from social media companies and communications service providers to support awareness and preventative activity to counter internet harms; and if she will make a statement.

Matt Hancock: As part of the work on the Digital Charter, which was announced in the Queen's speech, the Government is considering a range of options to counter internet harms. Further details of our approach is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/matt-hancocks-speech-on-technology-at-the-margaret-thatcher-conference-on-security

Mass Media: Ethics

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to institute an expert data use and ethics commission; and if she will make a statement.

Matt Hancock: The effective use and governance of data is of vital importance for our economy and society and my officials continue to work with others in government, industry and academia on this issue.

Digital Technology: Coventry South

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to tackle digital exclusion in Coventry South constituency.

Matt Hancock: Government is committed to tackling digital exclusion. The Digital Skills and Inclusion chapter of the Digital Strategy, published in March of this year, describes some of the many ways in which we are working across government and with industry and the charity sector to address the digital divide.  Government also funds Good Things Foundation to deliver the Future Digital Inclusion Programme. Good Things Foundation oversees the network of more than 5,000 UK Online Centres, several of which are located in Coventry South.

Arts: EU Grants and Loans

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to replicate the funding available to the creative industries through the European Regional Development Fund when the UK leaves the EU.

Matt Hancock: Leaving the EU means we can take our own decisions about how to deliver the policy objectives previously targeted by EU funding. We are discussing closely with stakeholders all EU funding schemes, to ensure that any ongoing funding commitments best serve the UK‘s national interest.

Arts: Education

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on the role of teaching creative subjects in schools in addressing any potential skills gap in the creative industries when the UK leaves the EU.

Matt Hancock: The Secretary of State has regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on a range of issues relating to the creative industries, including skills and education. The creative industries are a focus of the Government’s Industrial Strategy Green Paper and Sir Peter Bazalgette is reviewing access to skills and talent as part of his sector review.

Culture

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on smaller creative and cultural organisations.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with representatives of smaller creative and cultural organisations on replacing EU funding when the UK leaves the EU.

Matt Hancock: We have met with a range of organisations, including large and small creative and cultural businesses to assess both the potential impacts, as well as the opportunities, arising from the UK’s decision to leave the European Union (EU).

Department of Health

Health: Finance

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with the Department of Communities and Local Government on the future administration of the public health grant.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department plans to extend the period of the ring fence on the public health grant until plans to fund local authorities through 100 per cent business rates retention are implemented after 2020.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to hold discussions with representative organisations in public health on the mandated public health duties of local authorities in light of the Government's plan to devolve the public health grant.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to hold discussions with representative organisations in sexual health, drugs and alcohol services on the mandated public health duties of local authorities in light of the Government's plan to devolve the public health grant.

Steve Brine: Since the announcement in 2015 of the intention to allow local authorities (LAs) to retain 100% of their income from business rates, officials at the Department of Health have held regular discussions on the implications for LA public health funding and services with their counterparts in the Department for Communities and Local Government and with representative bodies. We expect these discussions to continue and have already confirmed that the ring-fenced public health grant for LAs will stay in place for the remainder of 2017/18 and for 2018/19. Any proposed changes to the regulations prescribing particular services or steps will be subject to public consultation.

Medicine: Education

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to increase capacity at medical schools to meet demand from applicants with high level qualifications.

Mr Philip Dunne: On 4 October 2016 my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health announced that the number of medical training places available to students in England each year will be expanded by 1,500 to ensure the National Health Service in England has the future supply of doctors it needs to continue to provide safe, compassionate care. In September 2018, the Government will fund 500 additional student places through medical schools in England each year. A public consultation on how best to allocate a further 1,000 additional places closed on 2 June 2017. The Higher Education Funding Council for England will publish details on the allocation process over the coming months. These 1,000 places will be available to students from September 2019. Health Education England is responsible for ensuring that there is sufficient future supply of staff to meet the workforce requirements of the English health system. Information on future supply and specialty fill rates can be found in Health Education England’s Workforce Plan for England, available at: https://www.hee.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/documents/HEE%20commissioning%20and%20investment%20plan%202016-17_0.pdfAvailability of medical school places at universities in the devolved administrations is a matter for the individual Government in each administration.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: The number of individual diagnoses of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is not held. The statistics provided are the number of finished admission episodes.Financial YearChronic Obstructive Pulmonary DiseaseChronic Lower Respiratory Disease (relating to COPD)2011-12109,570125,9342012-13117,897135,8592013-14113,876132,1632014-15123,518143,2332015-16124,298144,327

Brain Cancer: Surgery

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the timetable is for the roll-out of keyhole surgery for brain cancer patients on the NHS.

Steve Brine: There is a range of treatment options for brain cancer, including radiotherapy, chemotherapy and neurosurgery. Where neurosurgery is indicated, an appropriate procedure will be selected for each patient which does include minimally invasive procedures and as such there are no plans to roll out keyhole surgery.

Lyme Disease: Disease Control

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to monitor and control the spread of Lyme disease by dog walkers.

Steve Brine: Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted between animals and humans by infected ticks. Dogs can pick up infected ticks outdoors and bring them into the home or garden, which could lead to Lyme disease in any bitten human. There is no evidence to show that Lyme disease can be transmitted from person-to-person, therefore dog walkers cannot contribute to the spread of the disease. Public Health England (PHE) provides advice to the public on being tick aware, how to remove ticks and the signs and symptoms of Lyme disease. This information is available through the GOV.UK website and is relevant to dog walkers as well as the general public and can be used by local authorities in their own advice. PHE has also helped revise the patient advice on NHS Choices and the Government website contains links to Lyme disease information.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/552740/Ticksandyourhealthinfoabouttickbites.pdfhttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/463701/LymeDisease_SignsAndSymptoms.pdf

Nurses: Migrant Workers

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the number of nurses from the EU working in the NHS.

Mr Philip Dunne: We are monitoring the impact on the National Health Service. The latest NHS Digital data available on nationality shows the number of nurses with European Union (excluding United Kingdom) nationalities (EU27) has increased by over 400 between June 2016 and March 2017. This number as a percentage of all nurses has also increased slightly, from 6.9% to 7.0%. NHS Digital publishes data on the nationality of staff working in the National Health Service in England. Nationality is self-reported within the NHS human resources and payroll system, the electronic staff record. The Secretary of State has repeatedly said that overseas workers form a crucial part of our NHS and we value their contribution immensely. We understand the need to give valued NHS staff from the EU certainty, which is why securing an agreement that will guarantee the status of EU nationals here and UK nationals in the EU is one of our top priorities in Brexit negotiations.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the increase in the number of people diagnosed with arthritis and other musculoskeletal disorders in relation to (a) funding and (b) public health strategy.

Steve Brine: The burden of musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions is likely to rise significantly due to an ageing population and a combination of obesity and physical inactivity. Individual clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and local authorities (LAs) are responsible for the delivery of services to treat and support the prevention of MSK disorders from their respective resources allocation. Where appropriate, some local services may be designed and delivered in partnership between CCGs and LAs.Whilst not all MSK conditions are preventable, physical activity can play an important part in reducing risk of developing certain MSK disorders and managing MSK symptoms. Regular physical activity that meets national guidelines on frequency and intensity can reduce an individual’s risk of developing joint and back pain by 25% and can improve symptoms for people with MSK conditions.The Department works with Public Health England (PHE), NHS England and local authorities to promote physical activity. The ‘Providing physical activity interventions for people with musculoskeletal conditions’ report, published in March 2017 is the result of collaboration between Arthritis Research UK, PHE, NHS England and the Department. The report reviews the benefits of physical activity both for people with MSK conditions and wider society and provides a framework that supports a tiered approach to intervention. More information can be found at the following link:www.arthritisresearchuk.org/policy-and-public-affairs/reports-and-resources/reports/physical-activity-report.aspxPHE is leading the discussions to engage all partners and stakeholders to prevent, detect and treat MSK conditions at an earlier stage through the use of evidence based interventions. For the whole population, the Government and PHE are also working to promote and support lifestyles that encourage people to make informed healthy choice in their approach to physical activity and eating a healthy diet, in order to promote overall wellbeing as well as reduce their risk of developing MSK conditions and to maintain and enhance bone health.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis impact trial will begin; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: NHS England and Public Health England announced in December 2016 that up to £10 million is to be made available to run a three year trial for pre-exposure prophylaxis to answer outstanding questions about future access and implementation. Work continues to ensure a robust trial starting as quickly as possible. Following the drug procurement, NHS England expects to be able to confirm the award of the final contract no later than the first week of August, meaning trial drugs could be available from early August, in readiness for the trial to begin once ethics approval is received and trial sites are prepared.

Pregnancy: Smoking

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce smoking amongst pregnant women.

Steve Brine: The Government is committed to reducing smoking prevalence in pregnant women and will be publishing its new Tobacco Control Plan for England shortly. This will aim to reduce smoking prevalence generally and includes actions to reduce smoking during pregnancy. Public Health England continues to work closely with NHS England to increase the number of women having a smoke-free pregnancy through a variety of initiatives. This is a key priority within NHS England’s Maternity Transformation Programme and a key action to reduce stillbirths and meet the Secretary of State’s ambition to halve the number of stillbirths by 2030, and to reduce stillbirths by 20% by 2020.

Nutrition

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the timescales on the new nutrient profile model will be published; and for what reasons the publications of those timescales has been delayed.

Steve Brine: The revised timeline for the review of the nutrient profiling model was published on gov.uk on 30 March 2017 and is available to view here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/review-of-the-nutrient-profiling-model The revised timescales are set to ensure that the options for the review of the nutrient profiling model are fully considered through a transparent process and will uphold the latest government recommendations for sugar and fibre. The review of the nutrient profiling model is due to be completed by June 2018.

Paracetamol: General Practitioners

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to allow GP surgeries to directly provide patients with paracetamol, and other low cost readily available drugs, rather than issuing such medication via a prescription.

Steve Brine: The Department has no plans to make changes to legislation to enable general practitioners to directly provide paracetamol, or other low cost readily available drugs for patients without the need for a prescription. These drugs remain available to patients over the counter.

NHS: Migrant Workers

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many foreign nationals are working in the NHS.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS Digital publishes data on the nationality of staff working in the National Health Service in England. Nationality is self-reported within the NHS human resources and payroll system, the electronic staff record. As of 31 March 2017, latest data available, there are now 137,384 (headcount) foreign nationals, or 11.6% employed in the National Health Service trusts and clinical commissioning groups. 80,822 of NHS staff records do not contain useful data with people choosing not to specify their nationality or not asked to.

Nurses: Training

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received from Cabinet colleagues about reintroducing the student nursing bursary.

Mr Philip Dunne: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not received any representations from Cabinet colleagues about reintroducing the National Health Service bursary for new pre-registration nursing, midwifery and allied health students from 1 August 2017.

NHS: Staff

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of staff shortages in the NHS by number and position.

Mr Philip Dunne: Health Education England (HEE) provide estimates of staff shortages as part of their Workforce Plan for England publication. The latest figures are available at the following link.https://hee.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/documents/Workforce%20Plan%20for%20England%202016-17.pdf HEE plan to publish the Workforce Plan for England 2017/18 in due course.

NHS: Lost Working Days

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many days have been lost in the NHS due to staff absence and sickness in  each of the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: The number of days lost in the National Health Service due to staff absence other than sickness is not collected centrally. The number of days lost to the NHS as a result of sickness absence over the last five years is in the table below 1 .  YearSum of Full Time Equivalent sick days takenSum of Full Time Equivalent working days availableSickness absence rate (%)201215,970,492376,888,3594.24 %201315,424,804377,092,2454.09 %201416,178,672384,714,3864.21 %201516,346,443392,433,9454.17 %201616,866,471403,377,0164.18 % Note:1 Source: NHS Digital - NHS Staff Sickness Absence Statistics. The data includes the number of days between the start and end dates of each sickness absence episode, even those days on which the employee would not have normally worked. This has an effect of overestimating the total sick days.

Surrogate Motherhood: Lone Parents

Paul Masterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 8 March 2017 to Question 66737, what progress has been made on plans to give single parents with children born through surrogacy the same rights as couples.

Mr Philip Dunne: Drafting work on the remedial order, which will allow single people to apply for a parental order in a surrogacy arrangement, is ongoing. We currently estimate that the remedial order will be laid when Parliament returns after the Summer recess period.

Commission on the Funding of Care and Support

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the public purse was of the Commission on funding of Care and Support which published its final report in July 2011.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The total cost of the Commission on Funding of Care and Support was £813,035.

Tobacco

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the Tobacco Control Plan for England will provide sustainable funding for local tobacco control and stop-smoking services.

Steve Brine: The Government is developing a new tobacco control plan, which will be published shortly.

Surgery: Waiting Lists

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment has been made of the potential effect on waiting times for operations of the capped expenditure process.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has been made of the number of patients potentially affected by the capped expenditure process.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what role he has played in identifying areas due to be subject to the capped expenditure process.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what public consultation has taken place on the capped expenditure process.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the total savings required to be made under the capped expenditure process.

Mr Philip Dunne: The National Health Service and wider health system has examined how to sustain and improve care – which produced the NHS Five Year Forward View. The Government committed to providing an additional £10 billion in real terms by 2020-21 to back the NHS’ plan, enabling it to deliver key priorities like seven day care, improved access to cancer treatments and better mental health services. All public services, including local NHS areas need to live within the budget agreed – otherwise they effectively take up resources that could be spent on general practitioners, mental health care, and cancer treatment. As part of their financial planning, NHS England and NHS Improvement have been running a process to look at how a small number of areas could do more to balance their financial plans, as many already have. The NHS is required to meet its operational standards as set out in the mandate and ensure access to appropriate care for all, in line with the NHS constitution. It is right that the NHS should consider efficiency savings such as reducing delayed transfers of care, reducing running costs, or reviewing treatments that are of low clinical effectiveness – because this improves patient care overall.

Nurses

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made in the number of nurses required to fully staff the NHS.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made in the number of podiatrists required to fully staff the NHS.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made in the number of radiologists required to fully staff the NHS.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made in the number of paramedics required to fully staff the NHS.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made in the number of clinical psychologists required to fully staff the NHS.

Mr Philip Dunne: Health Education England publishes an annual workforce plan for England, the 2016/17 plan sets out its analysis of the workforce needs of the National Health Service in England for this period. The 2016/17 plan can be accessed on the link below:https://hee.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/documents/Workforce%20Plan%20for%20England%202016-17.pdf

King George Hospital Redbridge

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will reverse the decision made in 2011 to close King George Hospital Accident and Emergency Department.

Mr Philip Dunne: These proposals, which are now published in North East London’s Sustainability and Transformation Plan, were a matter for the local NHS and were subject to a full public consultation under the Health for North East London programme. Any significant changes have to meet the four reconfiguration tests which require the plan to demonstrate strong public and patient engagement, a clear clinical evidence base, support for patient choice and support from commissioners. The North East London Sustainability and Transformation Plan programme board is clear that the decision has been made and that it is now for the Trust and clinical commissioning groups to implement. The local National Health Service has emphasised that no changes will happen until it is satisfied that all the necessary resources are in place and that the quality of services at Queen’s Accident and Emergency has improved.  This case was reviewed by the Independent Reconfiguration Panel in 2011 and the Secretary of State for Health accepted their advice.

NHS: Digital Technology

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will provide an update on how sensitive data is protected in the NHS; and what steps he has taken to improve cyber-security in the NHS since the ransomware attack on 12 May 2017.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to establish an inquiry into the cyber-attack on the NHS on 12 May 2017.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the total cost was of emergency measures put in place to address the NHS ransomware attack on 12 May 2017 and from which budgets those costs were met.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cyber-security incidents have taken place in the NHS since 2010; and how many incidents there have been where (a) patient data has been accessed or compromised and (b) patient care has been interrupted or halted.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Cyber resilience in the health and care system is an issue that the Government takes very seriously. We have changed the National Health Service standard contract to include, from April 2017, cyber security requirements. Evidence shows that the use of unsupported systems is continuing to reduce in health and care, as organisations replace older hardware. Latest estimates suggest the usage of Windows XP in the NHS has reduced from 15-18% at December 2015, to 4.7% of systems currently. The 12 May 2017 ransomware incident affected the NHS in the United Kingdom. It is standard practice to review any major incident in the NHS. Further, the Chief Information Officer for health and care is undertaking a review into the May 2017 cyber-attack which is expected to conclude in the autumn. The identifiable cost of emergency measures put in place to specifically address the NHS ransomware attack on 12 May 2017 was approximately £180,000. These costs were borne by NHS Digital and NHS England from internal budgets. Information relating to any expenditure incurred by individual local NHS trusts or other NHS organisations is not collected centrally. We do not comment more widely on matters of security.

NHS: ICT

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much has been spent on IT infrastructure in the NHS in each year since 2010.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department does not hold the information in the format requested.

Depressive Illnesses: Medical Treatments

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many mindfulness-based interventions for repeat episode depression were approved in each year for which data is available.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information requested is not available.

Antidepressants

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many prescriptions for anti-depressants were issued in each year for which data is available.

Steve Brine: Information is not collected centrally on the number of prescriptions issued. However, information is available on the number of prescription items dispensed for antidepressants and is given in the attached table.



PQ838 attached table
(Word Document, 14.18 KB)

Suicide: Young People

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of young people aged 15 to 25 died from suicide in each year for which data is available.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Office for National Statistics publishes annual data on death registrations by suicide on its website:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/suicidesintheunitedkingdomreferencetables The table attached shows deaths by suicide in England and Wales between 1981 and 2015, including people aged 15-25.



PQ842 attached table
(Word Document, 19.09 KB)

Prisoners: Mental Illness

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of prisoners have been diagnosed with one or more psychiatric conditions in each year for which data is available.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Prisoners: Antidepressants

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many prescriptions for anti-depressants were issued in the prison system in each year for which data is available.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Children: Mental Health

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what action the Government is taking to tackle the disproportionate levels of mental health issues among deaf children.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Children and Families Act 2014 requires local authorities and clinical commissioning groups to work together to secure education, health and social care services to meet the needs of children with special educational needs and disability, including those with hearing loss. Over the past six years, the Department for Education has funded a partnership of charities through the National Sensory Impairment Partnership to help local authorities to compare their services, learn from the best in the country and make sure that services for deaf children and their families (as well as those with other sensory impairments) are effective and meet local needs. This has included work on how local authorities and clinical commissioning groups can jointly commission services for children and young people with sensory impairment.

Social Services

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the Government's policy is on social care.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Social care is vital to enable people to live healthy and independent lives. This is why, against the context of tough public sector finances, we have taken steps to protect social care services. The Government has already invested an additional £2 billion to put social care on a more stable footing and alleviate short-term pressures across the health and care system. However, further reform is required to ensure that the system is prepared to meet the challenges of the increasing numbers of over 75s. We will work to address the challenges of social care for our ageing population, bringing forward proposals for consultation to build widespread support. We have committed to a wide and open consultation on our proposals, and want to work collaboratively with partners on these critical issues. We will provide further details on the next steps on social care in due course.